Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a protective cover for a boat having a tee-top. More particularly, the present invention relates to a protective boat cover detachably connected to a tee-top supporting frame.
2. Background Art
The present invention relates to protecting a boat having a tee-top from the elements of nature when the boat is not in use. Particularly, the purpose of a tee-top is to shield the pilot of the boat from the elements of nature.
There are many different makes and models of boats and different protective covers exist to accommodate such boats. Such covers are generally designed, however, to blanket the entire deck of the boat. Additionally, the protective covers either attach to the sides of the boat by snaps or other fastening devices or contain a drawstring contained in a channel about the perimeter of the cover, which allows the protective cover to be cinched snugly to the hull of the boat.
Many fishing-type boats are fitted with what is commonly referred to in the industry as a tee-top. Such tee-tops are ordinarily mounted onto the center console of the boat. The tee-top generally consists of a framework extending vertically from the console that supports a horizontal frame which in turn supports an awning or canopy.
When the tee-top remains mounted to the center console of the boat, the tee-top restricts the ability to cover the boat with a conventional protective cover as described above. These protective covers will not accommodate the tee-top and its supporting framework.
Other covers exist attempting to alleviate the problem of covering a boat with a tee-top. These covers provide multiple zippers wherein the zippers are located at locations adjacent to the frame supporting the tee-top. The cover is then pushed through the frame supporting the tee-top and zipped, connecting the cover about each obstructing support. In other words, the cover is split at each obstructing support and reattached on the opposite side. Due to the multiple breaks in the cover, the protective nature of the cover is jeopardized. Every location in the cover that must be split and then reattached by a zipper or otherwise, provides a location for water to potentially leak through the cover. Furthermore, the fact that the cover must be pushed through the supporting framework of the tee-top increases the difficulty of installing the cover.
Additionally, such covers do not contain a continuous drawstring about the perimeter of the cover. Because the material must be split so that the cover can be placed around each support of the frame, the drawstring must also be split or untied and then retied after the cover is in place. The retying or knotting of the drawstring prevents the drawstring from freely moving through the channel located at the perimeter of the cover and, consequently, prevents the drawstring from being pulled tightly enough to draw the cover snug to the hull of the boat. Without the cover snug to the hull of the boat the protective nature of the cover is again jeopardized. A loose cover is susceptible to being removed from the boat by wind.
Due to the above-mentioned characteristics, such covers are difficult to install and fail to adequately protect the boat. Thus, a cover that can protect a boat having a tee-top without such cover having a multitude of breaks in the material, without such cover having to be placed through the frame supporting the tee-top and such cover having a continuous drawstring is desired.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a protective cover for a boat having a tee-top that accommodates the supporting frame of the tee-top by wrapping about the outside of the supporting frame of the tee-top and connecting to the frame of the tee-top by fastening devices.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a protective cover with a single releasable fastener so to minimize the locations of potential water leakage.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a protective cover with a continuous drawstring so that the cover may be cinched tight to the hull of the boat.
These and other objects are accomplished by a blank of flexible material substantially shaped like a triangle, having three peripheral edges, a tee-top receiving aperture located within the interior of said peripheral edges, and a notch located on one of said peripheral edges. A releasable fastener connects the notch to the aperture and a channel is disposed about the peripheral edges, which contains a continuous drawstring. The flexible material contains fastening devices along the periphery of the aperture.